The present invention relates to a racing swimsuit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a racing swimsuit capable of reducing surface frictional resistance in water by providing a water repellent region on the surface of the swimsuit as well as being capable of reducing turbulence frictional resistance occurring on the surface of the swimsuit of a racer by forming a plurality of fine grooves parallel to a body lengthwise direction.
The function which is most required to racing swimsuits is how the surface frictional resistance of the swimsuits, which is caused in a race, is reduced in water, and there have been proposed various technologies for reducing the surface frictional resistance of the swimsuits.
For example, Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 63-39206 discloses a swimsuit characterized in that concave portions or convex potions each having a thin width are disposed in a body lengthwise direction when the swimsuit is worn for the purpose of promptly escaping the resistance of water applied to the swimsuit in a race. Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 5-38006 discloses a swimsuit having a non-permeable sheet bonded to a portion adjacent to the opening of the swimsuit for the purpose of obtaining the flow straightening effect of the surface of the swimsuit in a race.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-311751 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-49107 disclose a technology for providing water repellent sections and non-water repellent sections on the surface of fabric for the purpose of reducing the frictional resistance on the surface of the fabric and securing a water releasing property.
While racing swimsuits have been variously improved as described above, there still remain problems to be solved as follows.
That is, it is possible to reduce the surface frictional resistance between a fluid and the surface of clothes when the clothes have a water repellent treatment applied to the surface of the fabric thereof. However, the occurrence of the turbulence of the fluid flowing on the surface of the fabric cannot be suppressed in such clothes, thus there is a limit in a resistance reducing effect.
Thus, there has been desired racing swimsuits which solve the above problems and reduce the surface frictional resistance as well as suppress the occurrence of turbulence on the surface of clothes, thereby reducing the resistance of a racer.
A racing swimsuit according to the present invention comprising an elastic fabric characterized in that a water repellent treatment is applied to the entire surface of the swimsuit to reduce surface friction resistance and a plurality of fine grooves parallel to a body lengthwise direction are formed to suppress the occurrence of turbulence on the surface of the swimsuit.
Hereinafter, xe2x80x9cthe surface of the swimsuitxe2x80x9d means the surface which contacts the water, that is, the outside surface of the swimsuit.
A racing swimsuit according to the present invention can be arranged such that a water repellent treatment is applied to the entire surface of the swimsuit and the swimsuit has groove sections, in which a plurality of fine grooves parallel to a body lengthwise direction are formed, on at least a portion thereof; a plurality of fine grooves parallel to a body lengthwise direction are formed on the entire surface of the swimsuit and the swimsuit has a water repellent region, to which a water repellent treatment is applied, on at least a portion thereof; and the swimsuit has a water repellent region, to which a water repellent treatment is applied, on at least a portion of the surface thereof as well as has groove sections, in which a plurality of fine grooves parallel to a body lengthwise direction are formed, formed on at least a portion thereof.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, when the swimsuit is provided with the groove sections in which a plurality of fine grooves parallel to the body lengthwise direction are formed on at least a portion thereof, it is possible to form the groove sections in the shape of stripes parallel to the body lengthwise direction.
Further, when the racing swimsuit has the water repellent region in which the water repellent treatment is applied to at least a portion thereof, it is also possible to form the water repellent region in the shape of stripes parallel to the body lengthwise direction.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, the water repellent region is composed of intermittently-water-repellent segments in which water repellent sections, to which the water repellent treatment is applied, and non-water-repellent sections, to which no water repellent treatment is applied, are intermittently formed and which are formed in the shape of stripes parallel to the body lengthwise direction, or the water repellent region is composed of intermittently-water-repellent segments in which water repellent sections, to which the water repellent treatment is applied, and non-water-repellent sections, to which no water repellent treatment is applied, are intermittently formed and continuously-water-repellent segments to which the water repellent treatment is continuously applied, and the intermittently-water-repellent segments and the continuously-water-repellent segments are formed in the shape of stripes parallel to the body lengthwise direction.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, when the racing swimsuit has the intermittently-water-repellent segments in the water repellent region, it is possible that the water repellent sections of the intermittently-water-repellent segments are formed by being at least partially coupled with the continuously-water-repellent segments or without being coupled therewith.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, when the water repellent region has the intermittently-water-repellent segments, it is preferable that both the upper and lower edges of the water repellent sections of the intermittently-water-repellent segments are formed such that they have angles of xe2x88x9260xc2x0 to 60xc2x0 to the body lengthwise direction to reduce surface frictional resistance in water and to secure an effective water releasing property.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, it is preferable that the ratio of the area of water repellent sections occupied in the area of the water repellent region is 70 to 90%.
When the ratio of the area of the water repellent sections occupied in the area of the water repellent sections is the above ratio, an optimum water releasing property can be secured while reducing the surface frictional resistance.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, it is also possible that the groove sections are formed by the structural change of the woven structure or the knitted structure of the fabric forming the racing swimsuit. Further, it is also possible to form the groove sections by an embossing treatment applied to the surface of the fabric.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, it is preferable that the grooves for forming the groove sections have a depth of 20 to 500 xcexcm, a width of 200 to 1500 xcexcm and a pitch of 300 to 3000 xcexcm.
In the racing swimsuit according to the present invention, it is possible to apply a smoothing treatment to the region of the surface of the fabric forming the racing swimsuit other than the groove section thereof.